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After nearly two months recovering at the Carolina Raptor Center in Huntersville, N.C., barred owl Luna’s release back into the wild was expected to take place in front of the Pegram household where she was rescued.
But after some wires were crossed with her paperwork, she was released during a festival in Gaston County, N.C.
Nine-year-old Madalyn Pegram was surprised when mom Stacy told her she wouldn’t get to see her owl released. “She was disappointed but ultimately happy Luna was able to be released,” Pegram said.

A $7.2 million photo was taken Sept. 30 in the county administration parking lot.
It’s a group shot of the 18 new fire trucks now in station houses across Lancaster County.
“It’s an awesome thing to stand there and see all that apparatus side by side like that,” said Darren Player, Lancaster County Fire Rescue director. “You realize a huge cooperative effort made the photo possible. From our elected leaders to volunteers who do the lion’s share of the work and a career staff…. That’s quite a coalition at work.”

USC Lancaster’s Native American Studies Center celebrated its fifth anniversary Thursday with Catawba pottery-making demonstrations and traditional music echoing throughout the exhibit halls.
“It’s amazing to see what was started when people believed in the dream,” Mayor John Howard told the crowd. “It’s amazing to see what has happened to downtown Lancaster in just five years, and just imagine what will define it five years from now.”

Like millions of other Americans, David Garcia waited with dread Sept 19 as Hurricane Maria approached his beloved Puerto Rico, the second major hurricane to threaten the island in two weeks.
Huddled around a phone at their home in Indian Land, Garcia and wife Jennifer checked in with his cousin, Ivette Escobar, back on the island with her family.

For most families, not having a suitable vehicle is an inconvenience, but for those who care for a child with long-term medical issues, the lack of adequate transportation can affect the family’s quality of life and the child’s health.
Such is the situation for Shawn and Emily Cauthen of Lancaster and their 7-year-old son, Austin, who suffers from a rare muscle disorder that requires lifesaving equipment and around-the-clock care.

Lancaster’s Jeff Hammond has been elected president of the S.C. Association of Clerks of Court and Registers of Deeds.
Hammond is serving his fifth term as Lancaster County Clerk of Court.
Julie Armstrong, Charleston County clerk of court, said Hammond is widely respected across the state for his leadership and integrity.
“It is truly an honor to be elected by your peers to such an important role,” she said.
Hammond called his election an honor and privilege.

A Lancaster man arrested last month after dropping an overdosed acquaintance off at the hospital has been indicted on a federal gun charge.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Columbia, a federal jury returned a one-count indictment Wednesday against Jimmy Allen Hunter for possession of firearms and ammunition by a felon.

A tropical storm heading into the Gulf of Mexico may make its way to Lancaster County next week, bringing some needed rain.
The National Hurricane Center said Tropical Storm Nate is projected to hit Louisiana at 8 a.m. Sunday, possibly as a category 1 hurricane.
On Thursday, Nate was upgraded to a tropical storm and was about 1,400 miles south of Columbia, along the coast of Nicaragua. It was moving northwest at five to 10 mph.

A 21-year-old woman died Wednesday night when her car ran off S.C. 9 east of Lancaster, hit a culvert and overturned, trapping her inside.
Vertrice Janet Belk, who lived in the Buford community, was traveling east near Roach Drive about 9:30 when her 2003 Honda Accord crashed, according to Highway Patrol Lance Cpl. Gary Miller. Belk was not wearing her seatbelt.
Belk died at the scene from multiple injuries in the single-car crash, according to a statement from the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office.

A Lancaster carpenter and two of his friends are deep into their second weeklong trip to Port Arthur, Texas, where they’ve been ripping out drywall and doing anything else they can to help victims recover from Hurricane Harvey.
Jammy Roberts, 39, owner of James Roberts Carpentry, hit the road with Lancaster friends Josh Taylor and Gary Williams soon after the storm dumped 50-plus inches of rain on Texas starting Aug. 25. Port Arthur got 2 feet of rain in one 24-hour period.